Zutara Month 2012
by royaiii
Summary: My take on the Zutara month 2012 prompts. Rating may change.
1. Relief

Day 1 of Zutara Month!  
I am so excited for Zutara month! When I first heard about it, I wanted to start writing right away because Zutara is the only ship I feel comfortable enough to write.  
So yeah. I'm not great at writing, or at least I don't think I am, so any reviews would be great :)

* * *

"Zuko!" Katara ran through the palace as fast as she could without stumbling on the long, red robes she wore. "Zuko!"

When Katara had last seen Zuko that morning, he was on his way to one of the many meetings he had to attend as Fire Lord. She hadn't bothered to wake up enough to do anything more than mumble a sleepy goodbye. Now, she might never have the chance to say a proper goodbye.

"Zuko!" she called again, before succumbing to the sobs she was holding back. Just minutes ago, a guard had come in to her room, informing her that there had been an assault on the Fire Lord's life, and he was assumed to be dead. Katara had stood there for a moment, mouth open, before sprinting out of her room and down the hall.

"But Lady Katara, I was instructed to keep you safe in your rooms!" the guard called after her, but Katara hadn't heard. All she knew was that Zuko could quite possibly be dead.

Katara collapsed on the ground, crying. Zuko was gone. Her Zuko was gone.

"'Tara?" a familiar voice said behind her. She knew that voice.

"Zuko?" she whispered, the voice behind her and the information she had received earlier not matching up. She muttered his name again as she slowly got up and turned around. "Zuko!"

The last thing he saw before slammed against him was her tear-stained face.

"Zuko…" she cried against his shirt in relief.

"'Tara, it's alright. I'm okay," he murmured to her.

"Zuko, they said you were dead!" Katara screeched once she had calmed down. "You got attacked!"

"I did, but I'm alright," Zuko explained.

"What happened? Who attacked you? How did you get away?" The questions were pouring out, and Katara couldn't stop them, but it didn't matter. Zuko was alive.

"I'll explain later. It's a long story," Zuko sighed.

"Okay," she replied, accepting his answer. She buried her face back into his shirt. " I was worried… I love you, Zuko."

"I love you, too, Katara."


	2. Luminous

Day 2- Luminous :)

* * *

Zuko gently tugged her hand, leading her down the hall.

"Do I really have to wear this thing?" she complained, gesturing towards the blindfold.

Zuko chuckled. "Yes, 'Tara, you do. It would ruin the surprise without it."

She sighed. He had burst into her room after disappearing at dinner, claiming he had a surprise for her. Katara had no idea what he was planning.

"Are we almost there yet?" she whined.

"So impatient!" he joked. "Just step down."

She stepped down and felt her foot hit something softer than the stone hallway they had just been walking down. Katara heard him move behind her, and he began to undo the blindfold.

"No peaking!" he said slowly leading her forward. "Okay, now…open!"

"Zuko!" Katara gasped. The garden was strewn with candles, illuminating the whole courtyard. Even the turtle duck pond had little candles floating along the top of the water. "This is beautiful!"

"Just like you," he said, coming up next to her.

She blushed. "But why?" she asked, curious of the occasion.

"What, you don't remember what today is?" The look on her face answered his question. "It's our one year anniversary!"

"Spirits! How could I have forgotten?" She looked distraught.

"'Tara, it's alright," Zuko said soothingly. He always knew how to best calm her down.

"I know, but how could I have forgotten the day when you said that it 'would be your honor to take me out dinner'? You are still such an awkward turtle duck, Zuko." She said, giggling.

"Hey! I am not!" he said, pretending to be angry. "I have one more surprise."

"You do?" she questioned, as he whistled two short notes. The sky exploded into fireworks of every color. "I guess there are some perks of being the Fire Lord's girlfriend."

"So, did you like your present?" Zuko asked once the fireworks ended.

"I loved it, but now it's time for your present," she said, grinning, leading him back to their room.


	3. Potential

Third day of Zutara Month! Suggestions and reviews would be lovely :)

* * *

Everything has potential. That is the way the world works. Anything can happen until proven otherwise.

_She had screamed, turned, and ran. She hadn't expected there to be someone behind her, until someone had grabbed her wrists. She had whirled around to see the cool, amber eyes of the exiled Fire Prince._

"_I'll save you from the pirates," he had said, almost seductively, looking her straight in the eye while still holding her wrists tightly in front of her, though carefully enough not to hurt her. _

"_I'm sorry," he had said as she cried. "That's something we have in common."_

_She had stopped crying. She had never imagined that the spoiled Fire Prince would be apologizing to her, even if he hadn't caused her mother's death. He had never sounded so gentle before._

_She had looked at him carefully. The runaway prince was sweating. He had caused them so much pain in the past. She had no reason to trust him._

"_I won't let you down, I promise," he had said excitedly when she had approved. His tense face had perked up into a small smile. She had turned, leaving him standing there, alone._

_She had opened her tent to find a very sleepy prince outside her door. She had stated that he looked horrible._

"_I waited out here all night," he had said. At the time, she hadn't understood what was so important that he had had to wait outside all night for her. But with what he had said next had made her turn and face him._

"_I know who killed your mother. I'm going to help you find him," he had said, his face completely serious._

_She had stood up and faced him. His pale face and amber eyes looked uncertain. Uncertain of what she was going to do next. She looked at him. Really looked at him. His scar hadn't bothered her. In fact, it had never really bothered her, even when he had been chasing them around the world._

_She had moved, and before she had fully understood what she was doing, she had hugged him. She had released him and looked into his eyes. She had seen that he cared about her, and that he had been happy that she finally accepted him. She had given him a small smile before walking away._

_She had seen the blue light coming towards her, but nothing made sense. It hadn't hit her like she thought it would. Then she had realized there had been something, no someone, blocking the lightning from hitting her. She had called his name, but her friend was already taking the shock for her._

_She had quickly battled Azula, her mind on his unmoving body, not the fight. She had raced over to him, quickly pulling the water to his abdomen. She had tried her best to heal him, and she most had, though he'd be sore for some time. When he had opened his eyes, she had almost collapsed with joy._

"_Thank you, Katara," he had said in a weak voice. Before she had realized it, tears were streaming down her face. Her prince was alive._

Katara thought through every memory she had of Zuko, trying to prove herself wrong. But as hard as she tried, she couldn't. Her hands grew sweaty as she walked toward Zuko's temporary rooms. The day before, they had taken down Azula, and today was Zuko's coronation. She knew she had to tell him how she felt now, or else she'd never find the courage to do it.

Much too soon, she reached his door. She hesitated before knocking against the mahogany door.

"Come in," she heard his muffled response, and even that made her stomach flip. She slowly opened the door and walked inside. Zuko was sitting on in a chair near the window, wearing a robe.

"Katara!" he exclaimed. "It's-"

"Wait," she cut him off. "I need to tell you something. And I'd prefer it if you didn't interrupt me."

He looked surprised, but nodded nonetheless.

"Zuko, I don't know how to say this, but if I don't do it now, I don't know what would happen," she sighed. "I care about you a lot Zuko, more than I ever thought I would. When you dove in front of that lightning for me, I couldn't bear the thought of you dying. When I saw that you were alive, I realized that I care about you…more than a friend. And I don't just want to be friends, I want to be something more-"

Zuko moved faster than he should have with injury, and pressed his lips to Katara's, silencing her. She didn't react for a moment, but when she realized what was happening, she kissed him back. After a minute, she realized something and broke the kiss.

"I told you not to interrupt me!" Katara scolded, still out of breath from kissing.

"Would me telling you that I feel the same way make it better that I interrupted you?" he said, beaming at her.

"I-you…you feel the same way?" she said, blushing.

He chuckled. "Yes, I do. I have cared about you since I joined the group, but seeing the lightning going towards you…my world stopped when I realized you were in danger."

And before he knew what was happening, she enveloped him in a hug, almost knocking him backwards. He hissed in pain.

"Spirits!" she cried. "I'm so sorry! Here let me see if I can heal you!"

"Katara, I'm fine. Well, as long as you are here with me," he said, and kissed her.

Yes, everything has potential. Anything can happen until proven otherwise.


	4. Change

Change

"But I don't like change!" Zuko yelled. His advisors were trying to get him to update some policy, but Katara had no clue which one. She was too focused on thinking of ways to calm her fiancé down.

"Zuko," she said calmly, touching his arm. "I think now would be a good time for a break."

He looked at her, almost surprised to see her there, though she had been at most of his meetings long before they'd been engaged.

"I suppose you are right," he sighed. If anyone could talk some sense into him, it was Katara. "The meeting will continue in an hour!"

As the advisors left, Katara pulled Zuko out the door.

"Let's go back to our rooms. I have something to show you." There was something strange in Katara's voice, but Zuko was too angry to figure it out.

"I don't understand why they are so set on changing every single policy. We completely recreated the government when I became Fire Lord two years ago," he complained. "It doesn't need to be updated yet!"

"Zuko, it will be alright," Katara said, as she opened the door to their rooms and led him inside.

"What is it you wanted to show me?" Zuko questioned, snapping out of his previous annoyance.

"Wait here!" she said excitedly, running into their large closet.

"Ok…" he sighed, and sat on the edge of the bed, muttering to himself about that day's meeting.

"Katara, I-" he turned around and saw Katara standing in the closet doorway. Her hair was loose and cascading down her back and she was wearing a very short, _very_ see-through purple robe. Underneath, she wore very skimpy, lacey matching bra and panties. Zuko's jaw dropped.

"Do you like it? I thought I'd change into something more…comfortable" she asked, smirking. "Oh, but wait. I thought you didn't like change! I'll go put something else on." She turned to go back into the closet and looked over her shoulder.

"Wait!" Zuko practically yelled. "I like it!"

"Do you?" she whispered, sauntering over to the bed where he was sitting. "But I thought you didn't like change."

"Well, uh, I guess it's alright," he stammered.

"Alright? Just alright?" Her voice was full of fake anger.

"No! I really like it! I love it!" he stumbled over his words.

Katara laughed. "You are adorable when you act like an awkward turtle duck."

"Hey!" he protested, before being cut off with a kiss. Katara pulled away quickly, walked over to the bed and sat down.

"I guess change isn't all bad…" he said as he followed her to the bed.


End file.
